Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The Shuttleworth Collection's Avro 621 Tutor, Blackburn B2 and De Havilland Tiger Moth, displaying together at Old Warden airfield during the Shuttleworth Military Pageant 2019.
The Avro Model 621 Tutor was designed by Avro designer Roy Chadwick, as a private venture, as a metal replacement for the Avro 504. A light initial pilot trainer, the biplane design featured heavily staggered equal-span, single-bay wings; construction was based on steel tubing (with some wooden components in the wing ribs) with doped linen covering. A conventional, fixed divided main undercarriage with tail skid was used in all but the latest aircraft, which had a tail wheel.
It was powered either by a 155 hp (116 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose or Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IV (180 hp/130 kW) or IVC (240 hp/179 kW) engine; later Lynx-powered models had the engine enclosed in a Townend ring cowling. The Mongoose-powered version was called the 621 Trainer and the more numerous Lynx-engined aircraft the Tutor. The Tutor also had a more rounded rudder.
First flight of the prototype G-AAKT was in September 1929, by Avro chief test pilot Captain Harry Albert "Sam" Brown.
Production started with an order for 3 from the Irish Free State and 21 from the Royal Air Force. After three years of trials against other machines such as the Hawker Tomtit the Tutor was adopted as the RAF's basic trainer, supplanting the 504 in 1933 and remaining until 1939. As well as 21Trainers, 381 Tutors and 15 Avro 646 Sea Tutors were eventually ordered by the RAF. RAF units to operate the type in quantity included the Royal Air Force College, the Central Flying School and Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 Flying Training Schools.
It achieved substantial foreign sales. Greek Air Force -30, 61 were licence-built in Greece by KEA. A number of Greek Tutors were incorporated in combat squadrons after Greece's entrance into WW2, used as army cooperation aircraft.
Royal Canadian Air Force - 6, Kwangsi (Chinese Nationalist) AF - 5, Irish AF (where it was known as the Triton) - 5, South African AF -2, Polish AF -2.
57 were also licence-built in South Africa, and 3 licence-built by the Danish Naval Shipyard.
Over 200 Avro Tutors and five Sea Tutors remained in RAF service at the beginning of WW2.
The 621 was designed as a military trainer and few reached the civil registers. In the 1930s, in addition to 10prototypes and demonstrators, 2 were used by Alan Cobham's Flying Circus and 2 trainers were retired from the RAF into private use. 1 was used from new by Australian National Airways. After the war another 4 ex-RAF 621s appeared on the civil register.
This is one of the main production batch and was used by the RAF College Cranwell and Central Flying School (CFS) and then as a communications aircraft. It was retired from the RAF in December 1946 and in February 1947 was restored to the Civil Register, as G-AHSA, to become part of the Darlington & District Aero Club fleet. It was later owned by Wing Commander Haywood at Burnaston, Derby and suffered crankshaft failure when taking part in the film Reach for the Sky. It was then bought by the Shuttleworth Collection. The engine was rebuilt by Armstrong Siddeley at Coventry from the best parts of three non-working units.
It was completely re-covered in 2005/6 and is now painted in CFS Aerobatic team colours as K3241 and is the sole survivor of the type.
Blackburn B2, G-AEBJ, is the v36th production aircraft. It was owned by BAE Systems when this was filmed, but was gifted to the Shuttleworth Collection in 2022. It's the only surviving airworthy example.
The Blackburn B-2 prototype (G-ABUW) made its first flight at Brough on 10th December 1931, powered by a DH Gipsy III engine.
A side-by-side biplane trainer aircraft, it was designed to be immensely strong to withstand the rigours of instructional flying and it featured fabric covered duralumin main planes, mated on an all-metal semi-monocoque fuselage. Leading edge slots were also added to allow better low-speed handling.
It was fitted with various engines over its 6 year / 42 aircraft production life (1931 – 1937) initially with a De Havilland Gipsy III engine although the more powerful Gipsy Major and subsequently the 120hp Cirrus Hermes engine were fitted later on.
The RAF and the Air Ministry were the majority users. In civillian use, the B-2 equipped Flying Schools at Brough Aerodrome and London Aero Park, Hanworth.
De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth:-
Built by Morris Motors, Cowley, Oxford in 1944 this aircraft was originally T6818 with the RAF. Little is known of its wartime service but after the war it was registered as G-ANKT.
Bought by the Collection in 1966 it was rebuilt using many components from 2 other Tiger Moths. It has been completely overhauled and re-covered and is finished in the colours of the Royal Air Force CFS Aerobatic Team, showing K2585.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
The Shuttleworth Collection's Avro 621 Tutor, Blackburn B2 and De Havilland Tiger Moth, displaying together at Old Warden airfield during the Shuttleworth Military Pageant 2019.
The Avro Model 621 Tutor was designed by Avro designer Roy Chadwick, as a private venture, as a metal replacement for the Avro 504. A light initial pilot trainer, the biplane design featured heavily staggered equal-span, single-bay wings; construction was based on steel tubing (with some wooden components in the wing ribs) with doped linen covering. A conventional, fixed divided main undercarriage with tail skid was used in all but the latest aircraft, which had a tail wheel.
It was powered either by a 155 hp (116 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose or Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IV (180 hp/130 kW) or IVC (240 hp/179 kW) engine; later Lynx-powered models had the engine enclosed in a Townend ring cowling. The Mongoose-powered version was called the 621 Trainer and the more numerous Lynx-engined aircraft the Tutor. The Tutor also had a more rounded rudder.
First flight of the prototype G-AAKT was in September 1929, by Avro chief test pilot Captain Harry Albert "Sam" Brown.
Production started with an order for 3 from the Irish Free State and 21 from the Royal Air Force. After three years of trials against other machines such as the Hawker Tomtit the Tutor was adopted as the RAF's basic trainer, supplanting the 504 in 1933 and remaining until 1939. As well as 21Trainers, 381 Tutors and 15 Avro 646 Sea Tutors were eventually ordered by the RAF. RAF units to operate the type in quantity included the Royal Air Force College, the Central Flying School and Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 Flying Training Schools.
It achieved substantial foreign sales. Greek Air Force -30, 61 were licence-built in Greece by KEA. A number of Greek Tutors were incorporated in combat squadrons after Greece's entrance into WW2, used as army cooperation aircraft.
Royal Canadian Air Force - 6, Kwangsi (Chinese Nationalist) AF - 5, Irish AF (where it was known as the Triton) - 5, South African AF -2, Polish AF -2.
57 were also licence-built in South Africa, and 3 licence-built by the Danish Naval Shipyard.
Over 200 Avro Tutors and five Sea Tutors remained in RAF service at the beginning of WW2.
The 621 was designed as a military trainer and few reached the civil registers. In the 1930s, in addition to 10prototypes and demonstrators, 2 were used by Alan Cobham's Flying Circus and 2 trainers were retired from the RAF into private use. 1 was used from new by Australian National Airways. After the war another 4 ex-RAF 621s appeared on the civil register.
This is one of the main production batch and was used by the RAF College Cranwell and Central Flying School (CFS) and then as a communications aircraft. It was retired from the RAF in December 1946 and in February 1947 was restored to the Civil Register, as G-AHSA, to become part of the Darlington & District Aero Club fleet. It was later owned by Wing Commander Haywood at Burnaston, Derby and suffered crankshaft failure when taking part in the film Reach for the Sky. It was then bought by the Shuttleworth Collection. The engine was rebuilt by Armstrong Siddeley at Coventry from the best parts of three non-working units.
It was completely re-covered in 2005/6 and is now painted in CFS Aerobatic team colours as K3241 and is the sole survivor of the type.
Blackburn B2, G-AEBJ, is the v36th production aircraft. It was owned by BAE Systems when this was filmed, but was gifted to the Shuttleworth Collection in 2022. It's the only surviving airworthy example.
The Blackburn B-2 prototype (G-ABUW) made its first flight at Brough on 10th December 1931, powered by a DH Gipsy III engine.
A side-by-side biplane trainer aircraft, it was designed to be immensely strong to withstand the rigours of instructional flying and it featured fabric covered duralumin main planes, mated on an all-metal semi-monocoque fuselage. Leading edge slots were also added to allow better low-speed handling.
It was fitted with various engines over its 6 year / 42 aircraft production life (1931 – 1937) initially with a De Havilland Gipsy III engine although the more powerful Gipsy Major and subsequently the 120hp Cirrus Hermes engine were fitted later on.
The RAF and the Air Ministry were the majority users. In civillian use, the B-2 equipped Flying Schools at Brough Aerodrome and London Aero Park, Hanworth.
De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth:-
Built by Morris Motors, Cowley, Oxford in 1944 this aircraft was originally T6818 with the RAF. Little is known of its wartime service but after the war it was registered as G-ANKT.
Bought by the Collection in 1966 it was rebuilt using many components from 2 other Tiger Moths. It has been completely overhauled and re-covered and is finished in the colours of the Royal Air Force CFS Aerobatic Team, showing K2585.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
